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By Corey WilliamsAssociated Press • Friday July 12, 2013 8:26 AM

DETROIT — A Columbus-based bank improperly closed business and personal accounts of hundreds of
people of Middle Eastern descent, an Arab-American civil-rights organization said yesterday as it
announced a lawsuit against the company.

The Arab-American Civil Rights League filed a lawsuit against Huntington Bank in
U.S. District Court in Detroit, according to attorney Nabih Ayad.

The organization announced the lawsuit at its Dearborn office just outside
Detroit. It said it has received complaints from hundreds of people in the Detroit area and
elsewhere who say that their accounts at Huntington Bank were closed for no apparent reason.
Huntington informed Arab-American account holders by letter that the accounts were being closed but
gave no other explanations, the Arab-American Civil Rights League said.

“March 2013 was ‘close the Arab American bank account month,’” Ayad said,
referring to the complaints.

Some complaints have been received from people living in Ohio, Texas and
California. According to its website, Huntington operates offices and more than 660 branches in six
states: Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky.

Huntington Bank is reviewing the matter, but declined to comment on pending
legal issues, said spokeswoman Maureen Brown.

“However, Huntington appreciates the opportunity to do business within the
Arab-American community, in greater Detroit and all our other markets,” Brown said yesterday in a
statement.

Huntington isn’t the only bank that’s been accused of closing accounts of
Arab-Americans.

In June, the Southfield, Mich.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations’
Michigan chapter asked the U.S. Treasury Department to investigate JPMorgan Chase & Co. for
closing bank accounts of U.S. Arabs and Muslims.

A JPMorgan Chase spokeswoman said at that time that she was unaware of the
complaints but would look into them.